Big Mom's wedding cake rampage has claimed its first victim with Charlotte Opera—just like Moscato at the beginning of the arc, Big Mom was able to yank his soul right out of his body. Since it's a soul-themed death, it's easy to imagine that he'll be revived at some point in the aftermath of the story (people die so rarely in One Piece anyway), but it's a blunt reminder of what the Charlotte family has to put up with on a daily basis. Their mom straight-up does not care about their well-being as long as it means she gets what she wants. The kids are still committed to revenge-killing the Straw Hats, but the more we get to see them as victims, the more we start to expect a change of heart out of them at some point.
The gear change from the assassination plot to full-on escape really goes a long way in bringing out the best in One Piece's glacial pacing. The thing that has always saved long-running shonen anime for me is the emphasis on propulsion, especially when there's a clear goal ahead of us. It's much easier to get lost in the moment, and it's more enticing to follow that 'To Be Continued' card at the end. Shonen momentum is a miraculous thing in that it still holds power even when you're witnessing everything in slow-motion. We're watching the heroes run straight for their goal (the ocean) and seeing the villains strategizing on how best to flank them. No more secret weapons or mysterious subplots waiting to surface. The audience is on the same page as everyone else.
On the good guy team, Luffy and his group are heading back to the Thousand Sunny while Chopper and Brook break off to reclaim the Sunny's submarine, which was left on another shore. The Charlottes' plan to kill two birds with one stone is to lie to Big Mom and tell her that the Straw Hats stole a bonus backup wedding cake, getting her to move away from the city and after Luffy. Meanwhile, Katakuri is using Brulee's mirror powers to warp onto the Sunny and wait, just in case. So the Straw Hats have the strongest character in the arc chasing them, and if they manage to survive that, the second-strongest character has already taken their ship hostage.
I love this version of Big Mom so much. She's a big lady, but she can absolutely book it across the island. She's physically imposing all on her own, but she also has her sentient cloud Zeus that she can ride like the Kinto'un from Dragon Ball, and she has her hat Napoleon who can also double as her sword. Sword-swinging, bandana-wearing Big Mom is the most the woman's ever looked like a proper buccaneer, and it's the most ferocious we've ever seen her attacks. The Straw Hats may have gotten a head start on the chase, but Big Mom's on their heels the second she's in the game.
Meanwhile, a band from the Big Mom pirates are also attacking Germa 66 at their base and getting into a surprisingly well-animated scuffle. This battle was mostly off-screen in the manga, another example of a side plot that could have conceivably happened in the source material if the author wasn't wrestling with limited page counts so much. There's also some setup for what Pudding plans to do, which is track down Chiffon (who's considered a traitor to the family) and work together to bake a new cake that will calm their mother down once the Straw Hats are disposed of. Mom's hunger pangs don't end until she gets her desired treat, and the head chef is out of commission.
This is a mere baby step in the Big Mom chase, and yet it's so exciting and busy. The way the different groups have to split up and strategize keeps the suspense going, and Big Mom is such an offensive force that it's hard to imagine what it'll take to finally sail away from Whole Cake Island. This climax isn't structured like a video game the way One Piece arcs often are, where we slowly build up to the final boss battle. The final boss is right here, and she's like level two thousand in aggro mode.
The benefit of being committed to such a simple setup is that the story knows exactly what it needs to do to invoke the maximum emotional response for this type of story.― I Want You To Make Me Beautiful is a simple story that does everything it sets out to do. At its heart, it's a straightforward story about moving on from the pain of a bad breakup and reinventing yourself into something better. Th...
Masaaki Mizunaka, KENN, Daiki Yamashita, Maria Naganawa, more join cast― The staff for the anime of Kaoru Shinozaki's Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-level Spells (Hazure Waku no "Jōtai Ijō Skill" de Saikyō ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Jūrin Suru made) light novel series revealed on Sunday the anime's ending theme song's title and artist, additional cast member...
Laid-Back Camp narrowly claims the top spot this week, but Delicious in Dungeon is having none of that and bumps it down in the cumulative. Find out where your favorites rank this week!― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind ...
Goodbye, Lara follows reborn mermaid, Ninja Skooler features ninja school― Kinema Citrus announced at its panel during this year's Anime Central event on Saturday that it is producing two new anime titled Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara) and Ninja Skooler. Takushi Koide is directing the Goodbye, Lara anime with character designs by Shiori Tani. The anime is based on a concept by Kinema Citrus, and it t...
2019-20 anime was itself a follow-up to first 2013-16 Ace of Diamond anime― Production on a sequel to the 2019-2020 television anime of Yūji Terajima's Ace of Diamond Act II (Daiya no A Act II) manga has been green-lit. Terajima drew an illustration to commemorate the news: Terajima's original Ace of Diamond baseball manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2013, and Crunchyroll streamed ...
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
The cast of the Demon Slayer stage play gave a memorable performance during the Japan Day Parade.― The Demon Slayer franchise continues to prove itself as an absolute powerhouse for fans worldwide. The hit manga by Koyoharu Gotouge has been adapted into multiple mediums, including anime, light novels, video games, and a stage play that has been running since 2020. Cast members of the stage play app...
2-hour programming block airs on Fridays starting on May 31― Adult Swim's Toonami programming block announced on Friday that it is creating a new block called Toonami Rewind that is dedicated to running anime, or versions of the series, that aired on the original Toonami prior to its 2012 revival. Toonami Rewind will air on Fridays starting on May 31 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and it will feature Sailor Moo...
Pokémon Horizons continues to display some of the best the franchise offers with great character work, creative setpieces, surprisingly strong direction, and a focus on a plot that continues to feel engaging.― Pokémon Horizons felt like a breath of fresh air as a new mainline Pokémon series. With a more timid and empathic main character and a stronger emphasis on the adventuring aspect of being a Po...
Sony and Square-Enix are both reorganizing, from new CEOs to staff cutbacks. Also, sad news about Penny Blood, more Cotton, and the latest video game news!― Welcome back, folks! You know, it's always nice to discover old stuff from a franchise you love that you didn't know existed. For example, I didn't know that the old Captain N: The Game Master cartoon had an episode that featured the world of Dr...
Ahead of the romance anime's second season, director Takehiro Kubota discusses the choices, the challenges, and balancing the story between the everyday and the supernatural.― My Happy Marriage began its life as a series of novels written by Akumi Agitogi, and it has since been adapted both as manga and, as of July 2023, an anime series simulcast by Netflix. Agitogi's tale, set in a nebulous time t...
Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf.― Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.S...
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...